8 things you don't know about Eric Dane

1 Dane, 34, says he and costar Patrick Dempsey rib each other about their studliness: ”I’m curious when his pomade commercial is coming out; he’s curious about my Bed Bath & Beyond campaign.”

2 The San Francisco native picked up acting from a high school drama class. ”I knew the girl who was checking attendance, so I [figured] I wouldn’t have to attend. But I got roped into a play and ended up loving it.”

3 As a teen, he also played water polo, which came in handy for his role as another ”arrogant prick,” the lead in Open Water 2: Adrift (out Feb. 20 on DVD). ”We were in the water for 40 days, five hours a day — it was nuts!”

4 Like his Grey’s alter ego Dr. Mark Sloan, Dane ”shoots from the hip,” adding: ”I tend to be very honest, which can be misconstrued as abrasive. The truth can be at times.”

5 Unlike Dr. Sloan, ”I’m definitely not a philandering womanizer.”

6 He’s been married to Beverly Hills, 90210 star Rebecca Gayheart, 35, since 2004. ”She needs to call me McSteamy at least three times a week for things to run smoothly,” he jokes.

7 His SAG Award (Grey’s Anatomy won for best ensemble) is currently ”sitting by the fireplace.” However, ”my wife’s redecorating the house, so it may not stay there for long!”

8 Dane himself doesn’t have a nickname, ”probably because I never joined a fraternity. I’m going back to college so I can get one,” he kids. ”[Hopefully] something like ‘Deuce’ — something real tough.”